EZ Lab
@ezlab.bsky.social
Arachnology / Evolutionary Zoology / Systematic Zoology / Behavioral Ecology / Biodiversity and Conservation / E-mail: eazylab@gmail
🕷️ New paper!
We describe the remarkable hunting behavior of the Malagasy spider Vigdisia praesidens, a termite specialist that uses silk to "fish" for termites inside damaged nests.
This one, too, is from a student field camp in Madagascar! Congrats to all coauthors!
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
We describe the remarkable hunting behavior of the Malagasy spider Vigdisia praesidens, a termite specialist that uses silk to "fish" for termites inside damaged nests.
This one, too, is from a student field camp in Madagascar! Congrats to all coauthors!
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
Spider "fishing" for termites
A group of student researchers from the University of Iceland and the University in Antananarivo (Madagascar), led by dr. Ingi Agnarsson (University of Iceland) and dr. Matjaž Gregorič (Research Centr...
www.ezlab.si
July 9, 2026 at 7:24 PM
🕷️ New paper!
We describe the remarkable hunting behavior of the Malagasy spider Vigdisia praesidens, a termite specialist that uses silk to "fish" for termites inside damaged nests.
This one, too, is from a student field camp in Madagascar! Congrats to all coauthors!
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
We describe the remarkable hunting behavior of the Malagasy spider Vigdisia praesidens, a termite specialist that uses silk to "fish" for termites inside damaged nests.
This one, too, is from a student field camp in Madagascar! Congrats to all coauthors!
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
Reposted by EZ Lab
This was a rapid one: idea May 15, fieldwork May 16, submitted May 24, reviews June 11, resubmitted June 18, accepted June 23, published July 8. Idea to acceptance 42 days, to publication 54 days. 🥳
Congrats to undegrad student coauthors!
Congrats to undegrad student coauthors!
A simple observation during a student field course in Madagascar led to a publication in The Science of Nature: wind-exposed golden orb-weaver webs host fewer kleptoparasitic spiders, independent of web size.🕸️🕷️
www.ezlab.si/post/gone-wi...
www.ezlab.si/post/gone-wi...
Gone with the wind: Windy spider webs host fewer thieves
Can wind determine where animals choose to live? Our new study, published in The Science of Nature, suggests that it can! Even for tiny kleptoparasitic spiders that spend their lives stealing food fro...
www.ezlab.si
July 9, 2026 at 6:47 AM
This was a rapid one: idea May 15, fieldwork May 16, submitted May 24, reviews June 11, resubmitted June 18, accepted June 23, published July 8. Idea to acceptance 42 days, to publication 54 days. 🥳
Congrats to undegrad student coauthors!
Congrats to undegrad student coauthors!
A simple observation during a student field course in Madagascar led to a publication in The Science of Nature: wind-exposed golden orb-weaver webs host fewer kleptoparasitic spiders, independent of web size.🕸️🕷️
www.ezlab.si/post/gone-wi...
www.ezlab.si/post/gone-wi...
Gone with the wind: Windy spider webs host fewer thieves
Can wind determine where animals choose to live? Our new study, published in The Science of Nature, suggests that it can! Even for tiny kleptoparasitic spiders that spend their lives stealing food fro...
www.ezlab.si
July 9, 2026 at 6:42 AM
A simple observation during a student field course in Madagascar led to a publication in The Science of Nature: wind-exposed golden orb-weaver webs host fewer kleptoparasitic spiders, independent of web size.🕸️🕷️
www.ezlab.si/post/gone-wi...
www.ezlab.si/post/gone-wi...
🕷️ New editorial!
"Horizons in Arachnid Science" introduces a collection of invited reviews on the latest advances in spider, scorpion, and mite research, from evolution and ecology to silk biomaterials and venom.
www.ezlab.si/post/new-edi...
"Horizons in Arachnid Science" introduces a collection of invited reviews on the latest advances in spider, scorpion, and mite research, from evolution and ecology to silk biomaterials and venom.
www.ezlab.si/post/new-edi...
New editorial highlights the future of arachnid science
Our colleague Matjaž Kuntner has co-authored a new editorial in Frontiers in Arachnid Science, introducing the journal's inaugural "Horizons in Arachnid Science" collection.The editorial showcases a s...
www.ezlab.si
July 2, 2026 at 4:14 PM
🕷️ New editorial!
"Horizons in Arachnid Science" introduces a collection of invited reviews on the latest advances in spider, scorpion, and mite research, from evolution and ecology to silk biomaterials and venom.
www.ezlab.si/post/new-edi...
"Horizons in Arachnid Science" introduces a collection of invited reviews on the latest advances in spider, scorpion, and mite research, from evolution and ecology to silk biomaterials and venom.
www.ezlab.si/post/new-edi...
Reposted by EZ Lab
Our new paper! 😜
Spider webs don’t just catch insects, they also catch DNA from the air. 🕸️
Our new study shows they can detect a major forest pathogen more effectively than conventional passive samplers, offering a low-cost tool for biodiversity and disease monitoring. 🌳🔬
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
Our new study shows they can detect a major forest pathogen more effectively than conventional passive samplers, offering a low-cost tool for biodiversity and disease monitoring. 🌳🔬
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
Spider web eDNA detects fungal pathogen
Researchers from the National Institute of Biology, the Slovenian Forestry Institute, and ZRC SAZU have demonstrated that spider webs can serve as highly effective natural collectors of airborne envir...
www.ezlab.si
June 1, 2026 at 8:58 AM
Our new paper! 😜
Spider webs don’t just catch insects, they also catch DNA from the air. 🕸️
Our new study shows they can detect a major forest pathogen more effectively than conventional passive samplers, offering a low-cost tool for biodiversity and disease monitoring. 🌳🔬
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
Our new study shows they can detect a major forest pathogen more effectively than conventional passive samplers, offering a low-cost tool for biodiversity and disease monitoring. 🌳🔬
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
Spider web eDNA detects fungal pathogen
Researchers from the National Institute of Biology, the Slovenian Forestry Institute, and ZRC SAZU have demonstrated that spider webs can serve as highly effective natural collectors of airborne envir...
www.ezlab.si
June 1, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Spider webs don’t just catch insects, they also catch DNA from the air. 🕸️
Our new study shows they can detect a major forest pathogen more effectively than conventional passive samplers, offering a low-cost tool for biodiversity and disease monitoring. 🌳🔬
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
Our new study shows they can detect a major forest pathogen more effectively than conventional passive samplers, offering a low-cost tool for biodiversity and disease monitoring. 🌳🔬
www.ezlab.si/post/spider-...
New publication!
Updated taxonomy of “coin spiders” (genus Herennia, family Nephilidae). This group is known for extreme size dimorphism, ladder-like webs, and varied distributions across Asia and Australasia. Check out what’s new in their taxonomy in biogeography.
www.ezlab.si/post/new-spe...
Updated taxonomy of “coin spiders” (genus Herennia, family Nephilidae). This group is known for extreme size dimorphism, ladder-like webs, and varied distributions across Asia and Australasia. Check out what’s new in their taxonomy in biogeography.
www.ezlab.si/post/new-spe...
Updated coin spider taxonomy
We publushed an updated overview of the spider genus Herennia, a group nicknamed “coin spiders” because of their appearance. These spiders belong to the family Nephilidae, a fascinating branch of the ...
www.ezlab.si
January 20, 2026 at 4:04 PM
New publication!
Updated taxonomy of “coin spiders” (genus Herennia, family Nephilidae). This group is known for extreme size dimorphism, ladder-like webs, and varied distributions across Asia and Australasia. Check out what’s new in their taxonomy in biogeography.
www.ezlab.si/post/new-spe...
Updated taxonomy of “coin spiders” (genus Herennia, family Nephilidae). This group is known for extreme size dimorphism, ladder-like webs, and varied distributions across Asia and Australasia. Check out what’s new in their taxonomy in biogeography.
www.ezlab.si/post/new-spe...
Reposted by EZ Lab
Schaut Euch mal das irre Spinnennetz im Bild rechts oben genau an. Das ist ja der absolute Wahnsinn😮🤩
The contrasting host webs we examined were Nephilingis (Nephilidae, large nocturnal orb weavers), Caripetella (Pisauridae, large nocturnal sheet web builders), and Anelosimus (Theridiidae, small cathemeral social spiders constructing 3D tangle webs).
December 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Schaut Euch mal das irre Spinnennetz im Bild rechts oben genau an. Das ist ja der absolute Wahnsinn😮🤩
Reposted by EZ Lab
New publication! 🕷️
In the Analamazaotra National Park, Madagascar, we investigated how kleptoparasitic spiders choose host webs. The answer isn’t random!
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs.
bdj.pensoft.net/article/1721...
In the Analamazaotra National Park, Madagascar, we investigated how kleptoparasitic spiders choose host webs. The answer isn’t random!
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs.
bdj.pensoft.net/article/1721...
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs
Kleptoparasitism, the theft of resources from another organism, is a widespread foraging strategy amongst animals. Many Argyrodinae cobweb spiders (Theridiidae) are obligatory kleptoparasites that hav...
bdj.pensoft.net
December 15, 2025 at 12:43 PM
New publication! 🕷️
In the Analamazaotra National Park, Madagascar, we investigated how kleptoparasitic spiders choose host webs. The answer isn’t random!
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs.
bdj.pensoft.net/article/1721...
In the Analamazaotra National Park, Madagascar, we investigated how kleptoparasitic spiders choose host webs. The answer isn’t random!
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs.
bdj.pensoft.net/article/1721...
New publication! 🕷️
In the Analamazaotra National Park, Madagascar, we investigated how kleptoparasitic spiders choose host webs. The answer isn’t random!
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs.
bdj.pensoft.net/article/1721...
In the Analamazaotra National Park, Madagascar, we investigated how kleptoparasitic spiders choose host webs. The answer isn’t random!
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs.
bdj.pensoft.net/article/1721...
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs
Kleptoparasitism, the theft of resources from another organism, is a widespread foraging strategy amongst animals. Many Argyrodinae cobweb spiders (Theridiidae) are obligatory kleptoparasites that hav...
bdj.pensoft.net
December 15, 2025 at 12:43 PM
New publication! 🕷️
In the Analamazaotra National Park, Madagascar, we investigated how kleptoparasitic spiders choose host webs. The answer isn’t random!
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs.
bdj.pensoft.net/article/1721...
In the Analamazaotra National Park, Madagascar, we investigated how kleptoparasitic spiders choose host webs. The answer isn’t random!
Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs.
bdj.pensoft.net/article/1721...
Reposted by EZ Lab
Osmooka aphana: new spider genus and species discovered in Madagascar
YouTube video by EZ lab
www.youtube.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Reposted by EZ Lab
1/8
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
December 6, 2025 at 9:09 AM
1/8
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
Osmooka aphana: new spider genus and species discovered in Madagascar
YouTube video by EZ lab
www.youtube.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Reposted by EZ Lab
Check out our new paper! Not only do we describe a cool spider (new genus) from Madagascar, related to an Australian one, but we also make a deep dive into orb weaver morphology to better understand family relationships and synapomorhpies. Proud of this one!
1/8
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
December 6, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Check out our new paper! Not only do we describe a cool spider (new genus) from Madagascar, related to an Australian one, but we also make a deep dive into orb weaver morphology to better understand family relationships and synapomorhpies. Proud of this one!
1/8
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
December 6, 2025 at 9:09 AM
1/8
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
Extreme Silk Toughness in Caerostris Spiders Is Limited to Adult Females - Gregorič - Integrative Zoology - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Extreme Silk Toughness in Caerostris Spiders Is Limited to Adult Females
We ask whether species with exceptionally tough silk, like Caerostris bark spiders, show different developmental patterns in silk toughness between ontogenetic stages and sexes. We found that only la...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Extreme Silk Toughness in Caerostris Spiders Is Limited to Adult Females - Gregorič - Integrative Zoology - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by EZ Lab
New paper on bark spiders, who build the largest webs made out of the toughest silk. We show that their extremely tough silk, which is potentially metabolically costly, is limited to large females. Juveniles and males use inferior silk.
New publication!
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Extreme silk toughness in Caerostris spiders is limited to adult females
Spider silks are protein fibers, renowned for their remarkable intrinsic mechanical properties. Dragline or major ampullate (MA) silk is particularly noteworthy for its combination of high tensile str...
www.ezlab.si
November 30, 2025 at 7:05 PM
New paper on bark spiders, who build the largest webs made out of the toughest silk. We show that their extremely tough silk, which is potentially metabolically costly, is limited to large females. Juveniles and males use inferior silk.
New publication!
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Extreme silk toughness in Caerostris spiders is limited to adult females
Spider silks are protein fibers, renowned for their remarkable intrinsic mechanical properties. Dragline or major ampullate (MA) silk is particularly noteworthy for its combination of high tensile str...
www.ezlab.si
November 30, 2025 at 7:00 PM
New publication!
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.
www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Reposted by EZ Lab
New study from @michellebeyer.bsky.social published in Animal Behaviour: Silk of females performing maternal care elicits reduced courtship responses in male spiders.
November 26, 2025 at 9:46 PM
New study from @michellebeyer.bsky.social published in Animal Behaviour: Silk of females performing maternal care elicits reduced courtship responses in male spiders.
Reposted by EZ Lab
Here comes Carolina's first paper on the effects of winter temperatures on survival, physiology and gene expression in wasp spiders. Thanks go to all coauthors for their various contribution that made this work possible!🧪🕷
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#climatechange
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#climatechange
November 27, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Here comes Carolina's first paper on the effects of winter temperatures on survival, physiology and gene expression in wasp spiders. Thanks go to all coauthors for their various contribution that made this work possible!🧪🕷
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#climatechange
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#climatechange
Reposted by EZ Lab
Come and work with us in our new home @bristolbiosci.bsky.social ! This fully funded PhD opportunity is open to anyone interested in spiders/eyes/light pollution/evolution/development! 🕷️👀
⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
November 24, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Come and work with us in our new home @bristolbiosci.bsky.social ! This fully funded PhD opportunity is open to anyone interested in spiders/eyes/light pollution/evolution/development! 🕷️👀
⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Sounds legit! 😁
@matjazgregoric.bsky.social in 2011: You know what's easier (logistically) than dolphin research? Spider research!
Me: *does PhD on spiders, but later goes back to working with dolphins*
Matjaž in 2025: You know what's easier than dolphin research?...
Me: *does PhD on spiders, but later goes back to working with dolphins*
Matjaž in 2025: You know what's easier than dolphin research?...
October 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Sounds legit! 😁
Reposted by EZ Lab
A pair of golden orb weavers from S. Africa (Trichonephila inaurata) mating back in 2016.
#Arachtober
#Arachtober
October 16, 2025 at 5:04 PM
A pair of golden orb weavers from S. Africa (Trichonephila inaurata) mating back in 2016.
#Arachtober
#Arachtober